Being an Effective Representative Payee and Utilizing Work Incentives

Being an Effective
Representative Payee
and Utilizing Work
Incentives
Presented by Margot Dana, Esther
Medina, Tricia Jones-Parkin, and
Carol Ruddell
Work Ability Utah
2009-2010
Medicaid Infrastructure Grant
# 1QACMS030319
Part One
Acronyms and Abbreviations
to Know
SSA= Social Security Administration
 Payee or Rep Payee= Representative
Payee

What is a Representative
Payee?

A person or organization who helps
someone manage their Social
Security money, if the beneficiary is
unable to do so themselves.

Note: A person may only need a
Payee temporarily
Differences Between Rep
Payees and Other Designations

What is the difference between:
Representative Payee
 Guardian, and
 Power of Attorney?

Representative Payee

Receives and manages Social Security
money on behalf of the beneficiary

The Payee must know what the beneficiary’s
needs are so they can decide how their
benefits can best be used for the beneficiary’s
personal care and well-being.
How do you become a Rep Payee?
 A trusted friend, relative, or organization is
appointed by SSA
Guardianship

Have power to legally act on another person’s behalf,
as if they were that person, IF:
A court finds the person “incapacitated”, or unable to manage
their own affairs
Can be given guardianship over just a few things or over almost
everything


How do you become someone’s legal guardian?

Only a court can grant someone guardianship over another
person!
 If you didn’t go to court and become the official legal guardian,
you do not automatically have the legal right to act on behalf of
another adult, even if they are related to you.
Power of Attorney



Has specified powers, which can be broad and cover most
legal rights, or narrow and give power over specific areas
only.
Can be long-lasting or in a limited capacity for a limited time.
(Like while person is out of the country, or while incapacitated
during recovery from a surgery)
Allows a competent adult to share and assign his legal rights
to another person in circumstances and scope of their
choosing
How do you get Power of Attorney rights?


Do not need to go to court to establish Power of Attorney
Usually can be accomplished by having competent adult sign
a Power of Attorney form (drawn up by an attorney, or gotten
online or at a stationary store somewhere) and usually having
it notarized and/or witnessed
Note About Guardianship
and Power of Attorney

Having Power of Attorney or being
someone’s Guardian does not
automatically make you the Payee

You must be the Payee in order to
talk to Social Security or act on
behalf of another person when
managing a person’s Social Security
benefits
Review and Application of
Knowledge




If you are the guardian or if you have Power of
Attorney, are you automatically the Rep Payee as
well?
If you are the Payee, do you automatically have
control of all of the rest of the person’s money as
well?
Which designation can only be appointed by a
court?
Which can be established through a written,
usually notarized document?
Representative Payees and
Their Responsibilities
What are Payees
Responsible For?
1. Managing money received from SSA
2. Keeping record of how money is
spent
3. Paying income tax, if needed
4. Reporting changes
1. Managing money
received from SSA

There are general guidelines for
Payees on appropriate ways to:
A. Hold the funds
B. Spend the monthly check
C. Spend any lump sum/back pay the
person may get
1. Managing money received
from SSA—
A. How to hold the funds
Must be a separate bank account, that
the person does not have access to
 Must be set up so only Payee has
access to the funds, but the bank
account is not property of the Payee
 The Payee is administering these
funds on behalf of the person

1. Managing money received
from SSA—
A. How to hold the funds con’t

To protect the beneficiary’s funds, the checking
or savings accounts title must reflect the
beneficiary’s ownership of the funds and your
relationship as a fiduciary (financial agent)

For example:


“Jane Fairbanks by Mike Renfro, Representative
Payee” OR
“Mike Renfro, Representative Payee for Jane
Fairbanks”
1. Managing money received
from SSA—
B. Spending the Monthly Check

SSA money received on behalf of
recipient should be spent in order of the
following priority:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Person’s day-to-day needs for food and
shelter
Any medical or dental needs not covered
by health insurance
Personal needs like clothing or recreation
Savings
1. Managing money received
from SSA— B. Spending the
Monthly Check— Application



Jane loves going to the movies with
her friends. She would go to the
movies all day every day if she could.
Jane asks her Payee, Mike, if he can
give her money from her SSI check to
go to the movies.
Can Mike give Jane money from her
SSI check to go to the movies?
1. Managing money received
from SSA— C. Spending SSA
Lump Sums

Back pay received from SSA should be
spent on the following, in order of
priority:
1. Improving their daily living conditions
2. Buying a house or other shelter
3. Home improvements
4. Furniture
5. Car
6. Other
1. Managing money received
from SSA— C. Spending SSA
Lump Sums 1
First Priority
1. Improving their daily living conditions
a) Items not covered by insurance
i.
Ex. Hearing aids, reconstructive dental,
motorized wheelchair, etc
b) Training or school
c) Recreational activities
Managing money received from
SSA— Spending SSA Lump
Sums 2
Second Priority
2. Buying a house or other shelter
a) Can put towards down payment,
towards mortgage, or paying rent
Managing money received from
SSA— Spending SSA Lump
Sums 3
Third Priority
3. Can pay for home improvement
renovations that:
a) Make the house safer, OR
b) More accessible
i.
Like installing or fixing a wheelchair
ramp
Managing money received from
SSA— Spending SSA Lump
Sums 4 and 5
Fourth and Fifth Priority
4. Can buy furniture
a) Couch
b) TV
5. Can use money to buy a car
a) For their use, whether they are
driving it themselves or not
1. Managing money received
from SSA— C. Spending Lump
Sums— Application
 Harry inherited and lives in a house
with exposed wires, a leaky roof, and
broken plumbing.
 Harry really wants to buy a large flatpanel plasma TV.
 Which should his SSDI back-pay
money be spent on first?
1. Managing money received
from SSA— C. Spending Lump
Sums—Things to Think About
 There are asset limits for people on
SSI and Medicaid. (Covered in-depth
later on in this training)
 Before making any large purchases or
expenditures, check with SSA or a
Benefits Specialist about whether that
asset will count toward the asset limit
or not.
2. Keeping record of how
money is spent
The Rep Payee must:
 Save receipts
 Document everything
 Fill out yearly accounting form
3. Paying income tax, if
needed
4. Reporting changes

Need to report when:




The beneficiary moves;
The beneficiary starts or stops
working, no matter how little the
amount of earnings;
A disabled beneficiary’s medical
condition improves;
The beneficiary starts receiving
another government benefit or the
amount of the benefit changes;
4. Reporting changes, con’t

Need to report when:

The beneficiary will be outside the United
States for 30 days or more;

The beneficiary is imprisoned for a crime that
carries a sentence of more than one month;

The beneficiary is committed to an institution
by court order for a crime committed because
of a mental impairment;

Custody of a child beneficiary changes or a
child is adopted;
4. Reporting changes, con’t

Need to report when:





The beneficiary is a stepchild, and the
parents divorce;
The beneficiary gets married;
The beneficiary no longer needs a
payee; or
The beneficiary dies.
You are no longer responsible for the
beneficiary;
4. Reporting changes, con’t

Need to report when:




You move;
You no longer wish to be payee;
You are convicted of a felony; or
You are violating a condition of your
probation or parole imposed under
federal or state law
Why is Reporting So
Important?
Importance of Reporting and
Record Keeping
Representative Payees must report
changes to avoid overpayments or a
“hold” placed on benefits. Penalty fees
can also be applied for not reporting
changes that affect SSI benefits.
 Keeping a record of what changes
have been communicated to Social
Security is essential.

Reporting Tips




Fax when possible
Yearly accounting
form can be done
online by Individual
Rep Payees!
Use SSA forms
Use the website, it
is full of excellent,
up to date
information



Notify SSA of changes
within 10 days of event
Save copies until
confirmation of change
reported has been
confirmed
Request
correspondence
regarding change
requested
How to Change Payees


If you will no longer be the payee, you must notify
Social Security immediately. A new payee will
have to be selected as soon as possible.
When you are no longer responsible for the
beneficiary, you must return any benefits,
including interest and cash on hand, to Social
Security. The funds will then be reissued to the
beneficiary or to a new payee.
How to Change Payees

Payee changes must be done in
person at the local SSA office.

If current payee passes away, SSA
must be notified as quickly as
possible, just as a change.
Planning for the Future



It is important to have a key person within the
family or circle of support that will take on
representative payee responsibilities upon
the current payee’s inability to fulfill this role.
This person should know to contact Social
Security immediately and understand that
forms must be requested and completed.
This person should know how the funds
should be held and accounted for.
Sum Up and Review
Payees are responsible for:
 Managing money received from SSA
 Keeping record of how money is spent
 Paying income tax, if needed
 Reporting changes
Questions?
Part Two
 Social
Security Work Incentives—
A Mini Workshop
Why Should a Payee Know
About the Social Security Work
Incentives?
Working may affect how much a person
may receive from SSA, or whether they
receive their benefit or not
 Related to reporting requirements and
prevention of overpayments

Social Security Disability
Benefits
Two categories of Social Security
disability benefits
 Disability criteria is the same for all SSA
disability programs
 Once disability criteria has been met,
what determines which program a person
is eligible for is based on their work
history (or a relative’s, in some cases)

The Two Categories of Social
Security Disability Programs

Title 2


Eligible because somebody paid into
(through SS taxes) the system, whether it
was the person themselves, one of their
parents, or a deceased spouse
Title 16

Eligible because have a disability, and
have limited income and resources. Out
of the general tax fund
The Two Categories of Social
Security Disability Programs

Title 2
SSDI (Social Security Disability
Insurance)
 CDB (Childhood Disability Beneficiary)
 DWB (Disabled Widows Benefits)


Title 16

SSI (Supplemental Security Income)
The Title 2 Benefits

SSDI (Social Security Disability
Insurance)

CDB (Childhood Disability
Beneficiary)

DWB (Disabled Widows Benefits)
What the Title 2 Benefits
Have in Common:
Eligibility related to either the individual
themselves, or a family member, paying
into the system through work
 Medicare eligibility twenty-four months
after Date of Entitlement
 Work affects all of them the same way

Social Security Disability
Insurance (SSDI)

Adults with disabilities who have worked
and paid Social Security taxes, have the
required number of quarters for their age,
and are a citizen or legal alien
Childhood Disability
Beneficiary (CDB) Benefits

For adults whose disability began before
the age of 22 AND have a parent who is:
On Social Security Retirement;
 On Social Security Disability Insurance
(SSDI), or;
 Deceased


May be able to draw off of their parent’s
work record
CDB Versus SSDI
Rules for working are the same for all
Title 2 programs
 However, CDB people can be affected by
marriage


If a CDB person marries someone who is
not also receiving a Title 2 benefit of some
kind (SSDI, CDB, or DWB), they will lose
their CDB benefit
Application of Knowledge
Kay, a person with Cerebral Palsy,
receives $1000 in CDB benefits and
has never worked. Kay recently got
engaged to Jared, who receives SSI.
 What happens to Kay’s CDB benefits
if she marries Jared?

Disabled Widow(er)’s
Benefits

Adults with disabilities whose deceased spouse
either:




Died while they were married to them, or
Whom they were married to for at least 10 years
prior to their divorce
Must be over the age of 50, and must not have
remarried before age 60
No major differences between how DWB and
SSDI works other than eligibility
How Work Impacts the Title
II Benefits─ SSDI, CDB, &
DWB
How Work Affects SSDI/CDB/DWB
Note: Whether you work or not, Social Security will still do medical reviews every few years to check on the status of your disability.
Trial Work Period
(TWP)
Extended Period of Eligibility
(EPE)
Nine months where you can
earn as much as you can and
still get your check.
Lasts for 3 years / 36 months
6
1
5
2
4
3
7
Check stops
any month
over SGA*
8
9
Trial Work Amount
Any month you earn over the Trial
Work amount counts as a Trial
Work month.
TWP 2009 = $700/mo gross
OR 80 hours or more of
Self-employment
SGA
Check
comes any
month under
SGA
*SGA (Substantial Gainful Activity)
SGA 2009 = $980/mo (gross)
SGA = $1640 if blind
(Other rules for Self-employment)
After EPE
If you earn over
SGA, SSDI is
terminated

SGA
If you earn under
SGA, check keeps
coming. (Unless
you earn over SGA)

1) Re-Apply
Two ways to try
to get back on
benefits:
2) Expedited Reinstatement
of Benefits (EXR)
Initial Reinstatement
Period
Trial Work Period Review
How many Trial Work months do Title 2
beneficiaries receive?
 How do they know when they have
used one of their Trial Work months?
 What happens to their check if they use
a Trial Work month?
 What happens when someone has used
all of their Trial Work months?

Extended Period of Eligibility
Review
How long does the EPE last?
 During the EPE, what determines
whether or not someone gets their
check?
 What does SGA stand for?
 What is the SGA amount for 2009?
 If someone earns $2000 for six months
during their EPE, what happens to their
check during that time?

After EPE Review
What happens to a person’s check at
the end of the EPE? Does it
automatically stop?
 How long will a person receive their
disability check?
 If somebody gets terminated, but later
wants to get back on benefits, what are
their options?

What Counts as Earnings for
SSDI?

Anything a beneficiary receives in exchange
for work performed, whether it is received as
cash or in-kind.


Payments in-kind would include things such as
room and board which are given for the
performance of work in lieu of, or addition to,
cash.
Some income such as bonuses, incentive
payments, commissions, and royalties are hard
to determine since they may or may not relate
to work performance.
When are Earnings Counted
for SSDI?

Earnings are counted when the person works
the hours, not when they get paid for them.

Example: Mike works for three weeks in
September, but the company doesn’t pay him
until October. SSDI counts it as earnings for
September, not October.
*Note: SSI and Medicaid are the opposite; they
count earnings when they are received, not
when they are earned.
Post-TWP
SSDI Work Incentives

Available After TWP Ends:
Impairment-Related Work Expenses
(IRWE)
 Subsidy/Special Conditions

Earn More, SSA Counts
Less?
IRWE and Subsidy sometimes allow a
person to earn over the SGA amount,
but have Social Security count it as if
they had earned under the SGA
amount, thereby retaining their SSDI
cash benefit
 But, each work incentive does this in a
different way

Impairment-Related Work
Expenses (IRWE)

Any work expenses:
 That are related to the person’s disability;
 That enable them to work;
 That they pay for out of their own pocket; AND
 That they paid for in a month they were working

Possible Examples: Prescriptions, medical equipment, copays or expenses for medical procedures, attendant care
services, expenses of service animals, job coaches

Note: Need proof of payment and sometimes a doctor’s note

IRWE is the only SSDI work incentive that can also be used for
people on SSI.
Application of Knowledge



Sigmund is bipolar, and on SSDI and Medicare.
Sigmund has used all of his Trial Work months,
and is earning about $1050/mo gross.
Even after Medicare pays for their portion of his
prescription costs, he still pays $100 for his
prescriptions each month.
Is Sigmund eligible for his SSDI check? Why or
why not?
Subsidy or Special
Conditions



Sometimes a person’s disability results in the need for
extra assistance, a reduced production rate, frequent
breaks, or fewer job duties than coworkers in a similar
job. When that happens, the individual’s earnings are
not only pay for their work product, but also represents
either direct help from someone else, like a supervisor
or job coach, or full pay for lower productivity than other
employees.
SSA is only interested in assessing earnings that can
be attributed directly to the individual and their earnings
potential if those supports weren’t in place.
Therefore, the SSA adjusts the value of the income by
deducting the cost attributed to the extra help or special
situation that each person experiences.
Subsidy or Special
Conditions Continued…

In other words, when SSA is trying to
decide whether somebody is capable
of performing SGA or not, they try to
look at the “actual” value of the work,
and not necessarily just what the
person receives in earnings.
Subsidy Example



Helen receives SSDI and has completed her Trial
Work Period. Helen gets paid $1200/mo for her work
assembling model airplane kits. Most employees
make 100 kits a day. Helen makes 50 kits a day.
Even though Helen makes half as many kits, she
receives the same wage as other employees, so her
company is subsidizing her 50%.
That means that the actual value of her work is
probably around $600/mo, not the $1200/mo that she
actually receives. So, when SSA is trying to decide if
Helen can perform SGA, they will count it as if she only
earned $600/mo.
How is a Subsidy
Established?

Once SSA has some indication that a subsidy
might be in place, they usually send a form to
the employer asking them to outline how much
the person is being subsidized and how they
came to that calculation


This form is sometimes confusing so the
individual should give the employer a heads up
on what subsidy is and what info the form is
actually asking for.
Or, the employer may initiate by sending a letter
to SSA outlining the subsidy
SSDI Work Incentives
Review

We covered two work incentives that may
be available to somebody on SSDI after
they finish their Trial Work Period
What are the two work incentives?
 Give an example of each

Title 2 Review
What are the three kinds of Title 2
benefits? Eligibility?
 What happens to a person’s Title 2
benefits when they start working?
 What work incentives can people on
Title 2 utilize, if applicable?

Reporting Work to Social
Security— To Review
How Does Social Security
Know if Somebody is Working?

Best Answer: Because the person tells
SSA they are working

SSA does have various means to acquire
earnings information, but if they don’t know
they should be looking for it, or where to
look (ie. what companies), they may not
discover people’s work until it is too late and
overpayments have occurred.
How Do SSDI Beneficiaries
Tell SSA They are Working?
Walk into an office, and hand them
earnings info in person, OR
 Mail or fax in copies of check stubs,
OR
 Fill out and mail in a Work Activity
Report (Form 821)
 Call─ either the 1-800 number or the
local office (local office is often best)

Title 16— SSI
Supplemental Security
Income (SSI)

SSI is Supplemental Security Income

SSI is a needs-based benefit intended for those
who are aged, blind or disabled who have little or
no income and resources and no significant work
history.

Eligibility for SSI should mean the person is also
eligible for Medicaid (but in Utah, you need to
apply separately for Medicaid).
Supplemental Security
Income (SSI)
To be eligible for SSI, you must:
 Have a disability (per SSA),
 Have assets below $2000 for a single
person, $3000 for married couple, and
 Have countable earned income below the
1619(b) state threshold amount.
 Meet all other SSI requirements
Supplemental Security
Income (SSI) Overview

SSI is based on what’s called the Federal Benefit
Rate (FBR).

For 2009, the FBR is $674. If you are a couple
and both recipients of SSI, the FBR is $1011 in
2009.

Other states have additional State Supplement
Payments; UT does not really.
Supplemental Security
Income (SSI)

Because SSI is a needs-based program,
geared to give a person enough money
to meet basic needs, like food and
shelter, if people have other income or
food/shelter help coming in, they don’t
need Social Security to supplement them
as much
SSI and Unearned Income

Unearned Income is any income that
is not earned:
SSDI / CDB
 Alimony
 Gifts
 Inheritances
 Deemed Income from a spouse
 Pension payments
 Etc.

SSI and Unearned Income

Unlike wages, unearned income is weighed much
more heavily by SSA.

Unearned income is looked at, after a $20
exclusion, dollar for dollar.

When calculating SSI, SSA will look at unearned
income first, and earned income second.
SSI and Earned Income

SSI only counts a little less than half of
what someone earns (Minus $65 and
then divide the remainder in half)

Though it is true that the more people
work, the more their SSI cash benefit will
go down, they will almost always have
more total monthly income by working
SSI Earned Income
Deduction Review
Rocky receives $674 SSI. He begins
working and gets paid $885 gross per
month.
What will be the new amount of his SSI?
SSI Earned Income
Deduction Review
-
$885 gross wages
$ 65 Earned Income Disregard
$ 20 General Disregard
$800
$800 / 2 = $400 Countable Income
$674 FBR* - $400 = $274 SSI.
SSI Earned Income
Deduction Review
If Rocky is paid $885 gross/ month, he
will receive a $274 SSI check, for a
total of $1159.
What Happens to Their
Medicaid if They Lose Their
Cash Benefit?

Even if they work so much that they
lose their cash benefit, they can go into
1619(b) status where they are still on
SSI, but are in “Medicaid-only status”

And, they can earn up to $28,860/yr (in
Utah in 2009) and still keep their free
Disability Medicaid
Supplemental Security
Income (SSI) and 1619(b)
To Qualify for 1619 (b), Individuals Must:

Have SSI cash benefit the month before 1619(b)
eligibility;

Have gross earnings below state threshold amounts
(<$28,860.00 per year in 2009 for Utah);
Under age 65, but still experience a disability or be
blind;
Meet all other requirements for SSI payments other
than earnings;
Asset test of < $2,000 remains; and
Need Medicaid in order to work.




1619(b) and the Home and
Community Based Waivers

If an individual is on SSI and one of the waivers,
they also need to consider the waiver’s income
limits when determining how much they can earn



If a person earns more than the allowed income limit
for the waiver they are on, they would need to pay a
spend down to retain the waiver services
If they did not pay the spend down, they would lose
eligibility for the waiver services
A person on SSI would still be able to receive free
Disability Medicaid through 1619(b), but would no
longer be eligible to receive waiver services
Earnings and SSI Reporting

If you receive SSI and you are working, you
must report wages on a monthly basis.

When you first begin working, notify SSA.

You will then be required to send in copies of
your wage stubs to your local SSA office
every month. (SSA is also implementing a
phone-based reporting system in some
areas.)
Earnings and SSI Reporting

There is usually a two-month lag between
when a person reports work and their
check reflects the change.
Whatever a person is earning THIS month
affects their check two months from now
 Whatever a person is getting in SSI this
month is based on what they earned two
months AGO.

• For example, the SSI amount a person
receives in December is based on wages they
earned in October.
SSI Asset Test— Under $2000,
or $3000 for a Couple

Some of the assets they DON’T count:





The house they live in
One car (the one with the highest equity value is
usually excluded)
Most personal household items, like their clothes,
shoes, wedding ring, TV, personal computer,
kitchen table, etc. (unless there are more big ticket
items, like a grand piano)
Burial funds, or burial plots
Medical equipment related to their disability
(wheelchairs, prosthetics, etc.)
SSI Asset Test con’t

Some of the assets they DO count:

Most real or personal property
• Any money they have in checking and/or savings
accounts,
• Retirement accounts (401k, IRA, etc),
• Most trust funds (except special needs trusts)
• More than one car, recreational vehicles,
• Second or third home
• Items collected or held for their investment value,
like a coin or stamp collection
SSI Asset Exercise

What Does and Does Not Count as an Asset?

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If they have a $4000 wedding ring?
If they have a coin collection valued at $12,000?
If they have a motorized wheelchair worth $9000?
If they have a personal computer that cost about $1000?
If they own the home they live in and some property up
in the mountains?
If they own a car that someone else uses to transport
them to work and school?
If they own a boat worth about $7,000?
If they have $100,000 in a special needs trust?
If they have $1800 in their savings account and $1700 in
their checking account?
SSI and Living Arrangement

Because SSI is needs-based, if a
person is receiving support, not
paying a fair share of living expenses,
or not paying for their food or shelter
costs, then SSA will usually reduce
that person’s SSI amount.
SSI and Living Arrangement
Example

Luke is 24 years old and living with his parents.
Luke is not working, and his parents don’t charge
him rent. His parents also give him food and do
not receive any compensation from Luke.

Because Luke’s basic expenses are being paid,
Luke is not eligible for the full SSI amount. As
such, SSA reduces his SSI by 1/3rd. (He will
receive $449/ mo as opposed to the full $674.)
SSI Work Incentives
SSI Work Incentives



General Income Exclusion (GIE) - $20
exclusion applied first to any unearned
income. (if no unearned income it is added to
the EIE).
Earned Income Exclusion (EIE)- $65
deducted from gross earned income, then
divide the remainder in half.
Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE)under age 22 and regularly attending school,
may exclude $1640 per month up to a
maximum of $6600 per year in 2009.
SSI Work Incentives


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
1619 b (continued Medicaid while working) if you lose SSI Payments due to wages you
may still be entitled to Medicaid.
Impairment Related Work Expense (IRWE) same as SSDI work incentive (previous slides)
Blind Work Expense (BWE) – expenses
incurred by blind individuals while obtaining
earned income.
Expedited Reinstatement of Benefits- same
as SSDI work incentive
Student Earned Income
Exclusion (SEIE)
To be eligible for the SEIE you must:
 Be under 22 years old
 Regularly attend school
 Not be married or “head of household”
If you are eligible SSI will:
 Exclude up to $1660 of earnings per
month, up to $6600 per year
Regularly Attending School?
“Regularly attending school” means that you
take one or more courses of study and attend
classes:
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In a college or university for at least 8 hours a
week; or
In grades 7-12 for at least 12 hours a week; or
In a training course to prepare for employment
for at least 12 hours a week (15 hours a week
if the course involves shop practice); or
For less time than indicated above for reasons
beyond the student’s control, such as illness.
SEIE Example
Georgia is 20, receives SSI only, and
attends South Valley School about 15
hours a week. She has also started
working part-time at Wal-mart
grossing about $600/mo.
 How much SSI is she eligible for?

SEIE Example
-
$ 600 gross wages
$1660 SEIE
$
0
$ 65 Earned Income Disregard
$ 20 General Disregard
$
0/2
= $0 Countable Earned Income
$674 FBR - $0 = $674 SSI
SEIE
Remember there is a maximum amount
of $6600/yr that can be deducted.
 Once a person has deducted $6600 of
their earnings, regular SSI working rules
apply.

Impairment-Related Work
Expenses (IRWE)
For an IRWE deduction to be allowable, the
following criteria must be met:
 The expenses must be related to an
impairment and
 The expenses must help the individual
work,
 The expense must be paid by the individual
and not reimbursed by another source,
 The expense must be paid within a month in
which the individual works,
 The expense must be reasonable
IRWE Example

Paul gets $674 in SSI. Paul pays
$84/mo for Flextrans to take him to
and from his new job every day.

If Paul earns $900/mo, what should
his SSI amount be?
IRWE Example
(without the IRWE deduction)
-
$900 gross wages
$ 65 Earned Income Disregard
$ 20 General Disregard
$815 / 2
= $407 Countable Earned Income
$674 FBR - $407 = $267 SSI
IRWE Example
-
-
$900 gross wages
$ 65 Earned Income Disregard
$ 20 General Disregard
$815
$ 84 IRWE
$731 / 2
= $365 Countable Earned Income
$674 FBR - $365 CEI = $309 SSI, or $42 more
than when IRWE is not counted
Blind Work Expenses (BWE)
If the SSI beneficiary meets the definition of
statutory blindness, SSA will deduct any
items that meet the IRWE definition as Blind
Work Expenses, plus many additional
expenses
 But, unlike IRWE, where you only get half
the value of it deducted, Blind Work
Expenses provide a dollar for dollar
reduction in the earnings that affect SSI
payments.

Blind Work Expenses
continued

BWE examples include, but are not limited
to:

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State and federal taxes
Union dues
Mandatory Pension
Uniforms
Reader Services
Driver services
Cost of service animal’s care
Childcare
Transportation
Meals consumed at work
Adaptive equipment purchased by the beneficiary
Blind Work Expenses con’t
Kathleen receives SSI and is working. She
is working 40 hours a week for $10.00 per
hour. This results in a monthly gross
earned income of approximately $1720.00.
($400 per week multiplied by 4.3.)
 Kathleen takes transportation that costs
$120.00 per month.
 Kathleen meets the definition of statutory
blindness.

BWE Example continued
What can be subtracted as Blind work expenses?
 Kathleen has $120.00 in transportation costs each
month.
 She pays state and federal taxes, FICA and local taxes
of approximately 20% of her earnings, or $344.00.
 Kathleen eats at work, and she reports spending
approximately $30.00 per week on her lunches, or
approximately $129.00 per month.
 After asking Kathleen additional questions about work
expenses, it is determined that these are all of the
applicable deductions.
 The estimated total Blind Work Expenses are $593.00.
BWE Example con’t
How to calculate Kathleen’s benefit:
-
-
$1720 gross wages
$ 65 Earned Income Disregard
$ 20 General Disregard
$1635
$1635 / 2
=$817.50
$539 BWE
= $224 Countable Income
$674 FBR - $224 CEI = $449 SSI
So Kathleen, after earning $1720/mo, still gets
$449.50/mo in SSI benefits, or $2,169.50 total income

Plan for Achieving SelfSupport (PASS)

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A Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS) allows a
person with a disability to set aside otherwise
countable income and/or resources for a specific
period of time in order to achieve a work goal.
Must show that completing the PASS will result in
reduced reliance on Social Security benefits
Helps to acquire services and items
Must be disciplined
Used to exclude income & resources
An alternate method of obtaining or retaining SSI
SSI Review
Even though SSI cash benefit goes
down when working, person will have
more TOTAL monthly income
 May be able to earn up to $28,860/yr
and still keep free Disability Medicaid
 May be able to utilize work incentives
which reduce how much of gross
earnings are counted by SSA

Other Resources to
Consider
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EPAS
IDA
211
Food Co-op
Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach
(BPAO)/ Work Incentives Planning and
Assistance (WIPA) Program
Vocational Rehabilitation
Work Ability Utah
Sum-up and Review
Payees play an important role and can
be a help or a hindrance, depending on
level of involvement and understanding
of the various systems
 Reporting work and other specified
changes is crucial!
 There are many work incentives out
there that may help a person come out
ahead financially by working

Questions???
To contact us:
 Esther Medina, SSA Area Work Incentives
Coordinator — (801) 524-4145 Ext. 3883,
[email protected]
 Margot Dana, BPAO/WIPA Training Coordinator—
(801) 238-4562, [email protected]
 Tricia Jones-Parkins, — DSPD Customized
Employment Specialist, (801) 538-4498,
[email protected]
 Carol Ruddell, Work Ability Utah Project Director—
(801) 887-9388, [email protected]